Clemency Offer Puts Focus On Hartford

HARTFORD PARTY LINE

August 13, 1999|By ERIC M. WEISS

The White House switchboard reached him somewhere on I-95 between Bridgeport and New Haven.

It was the news that U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, a Bronx Democrat, had been working for and waiting to hear for years: clemency for 16 Puerto Rican nationalists, including the mastermind behind the $7.1 million Wells Fargo heist.

But the congressman from the media capital of the world was on his way Wednesday to Hartford, to campaign for treasurer candidate Carmen Sierra.

Reached at Costa Del Sol Thursday night, Serrano said he had two things to celebrate: the clemency decision by President Clinton and Sierra's successful petition drive to force a Democratic primary.

In two days, two dozen newspapers and radio stations from here to San Juan have managed to track him down.

``The first thing they ask is, `Why are you in Hartford?' '' Serrano says. ``They think it's because I'm paying homage to where the trial took place. I have to tell them it's just a coincidence.''

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Sierra, along with mayoral candidate Juan Morales, did indeed get enough signatures: 2,305 valid ones, according to the registrar of voters. They needed only 1,439.

But at least one prominent signature was ruled invalid: Sierra's.

She signed her own petition twice.

``I was so excited,'' she said. ``I wanted to make sure my name was on it.''

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Mayoral petitioning candidate Hershel L. Collins is mad. He says media questions about whether he lives in Windsor or Hartford are ``irrelevant.''

He insists he lives in the city at 170 Harold St., where his mother owns a home. But he admits his driver's license lists a Windsor address and that he stays there with his son because he is ``working on a casino project'' in Windsor.

``I do live in the city,'' Collins said. ``I never left. No matter what I do or where I am, my address is on Harold Street.''

But what about the phone that he answered Wednesday and Thursday that's listed to ``H. Collins'' at 386 Windsor Ave. in Windsor? That belongs to his son, Harry Jr., he says.

But his son's name is not really Harry.

``He calls himself Harry Jr.,'' Collins said. ``However the phone is registered has no bearing about anything.''

He's right. A mayoral candidate doesn't need to live in the city until he's sworn into office on Dec. 7, according to city elections officials.

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Coming to Hartford last week to talk about auto insurance reform, Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim took a few minutes to tell the locals what it's like to be a ``strong mayor.''

He said unlike Mayor Michael P. Peters, he has broad authority to hire and fire department heads -- which he refers to as his cabinet -- as well as establish spending priorities within broad outlines set by his council.

He says it's the only system that allows fading cities to come back strong.

``You need ability, authority and responsibility in one person to give direction to a city,'' Ganim said, adding that developers don't want to haggle with a dozen squabbling powerbrokers to get something done.

``In Bridgeport, it's ultimately my decisions, and my fortunes rise and fall with the city. It can be a luxury or a burden, but at least responsibilty is in a place where people expect it to be.''

``As weird as it may sound,'' Ganim said, ``it will actually take politics out of a lot of things.''

Later, as Ganim was talking to council candidate Marilyn Rossetti, they both noticed a $20 bill lying on the floor between them.

That's when Ganim displayed his awesome strong-mayor decisiveness: he reached down and snapped it up.

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Being August, when it seems half of Hartford is out of town, the city council didn't have a member of the clergy to kick off last Monday's meeting.

No problem. Mayor Peters simply asked if there was a minister in the house.

Up popped Lawrence Clayton, the pastor of St. Mark CME Church in Springfield, Mass., who promptly led the council in prayer.

``Why not,'' said Clayton, who was there to support a ``living wage'' bill. ``I am a pastor.''